Luxury Hotels Atlas / Places / China / Shanghai / Amanyangyun
Amanyangyun
Shanghai, China · Aman · Grand Luxury
Amanyangyun (opened January 2018) is the product of a 15-year conservation project by Jiangxi entrepreneur Ma Dadong, who rescued 10,000 ancient camphor trees, some nearly 2,000 years old, transported 700 km on army tanks with tunnels excavated for the passage, and 50 dismantled Ming and Qing Dynasty merchants' villas from a valley flooded by a dam, rebuilding everything brick by brick on a 45-acre site outside Shanghai. Kerry Hill Architects designed the resort around this extraordinary living archive.
- 61 rooms
- Opened 2017
- Neighborhood: Min Hang Qu
- Rooms from 1,066 sq ft (99 m²)
- Architect: Kerry Hill Architects
- Interiors: Kerry Hill Architects
About Amanyangyun
- The emperor camphor tree at the resort's centre weighs 80 tonnes and took seven days alone to transport; roads through mountains and bridges over rivers had to be purpose-built for the convoy carrying it.
- Ma Dadong dismantled 50 merchants' villas from 30 villages in Jiangxi, cataloguing every brick, beam and carved relief before trucking them 700 km to Shanghai and reassembling them; 26 antique dwellings now form the heart of the resort, their ornate carvings detailing family histories stretching back two millennia.
- The most spectacular antique house, Nan Shufang, takes its name directly from the royal reading pavilion inside the Forbidden City — it now serves as the resort's cultural centre and library.
- The project began because a dam threatened to flood the valley near Ma Dadong's hometown; what started as a personal act of preservation became a 15-year construction undertaking Aman's then-COO called 'a staggeringly ambitious conservation initiative.'
- The smallest published suite or villa start at 1,066 sq ft (99 m²).
History
Philanthropist Ma Dadong rescued 10,000 ancient camphor trees and 50 Ming and Qing Dynasty villas from destruction in Jiangxi Province due to a reservoir project, transporting them over 400 miles to Shanghai.[Aman](https://www.aman.com/resorts/amanyangyun/destination) The villas were meticulously reassembled brick-by-brick, with Aman joining the restoration in 2009, creating a cultural preservation resort embodying Chinese heritage and introspection.[Elite Traveler](https://elitetraveler.com/travel/travel-news/amanyangyun-review)
Amanyangyun (opened January 2018) is the product of a 15-year conservation project by Jiangxi entrepreneur Ma Dadong, who rescued 10,000 ancient camphor trees — some nearly 2,000 years old, transported 700 km on army tanks with tunnels excavated for the passage — and 50 dismantled Ming and Qing Dynasty merchants' villas from a valley flooded by a dam, rebuilding everything brick by brick on a 45-acre site outside Shanghai.
The setting
Amanyangyun occupies a forty-five-acre sanctuary on Yuanjiang Road in Maqiao Town, Minhang District, approximately fifty minutes from central Shanghai. Its provenance is extraordinary: more than ten thousand ancient camphor trees, some nearly two thousand years old, were relocated here from a Jiangxi valley threatened by a dam, transported over six hundred kilometres on army tanks with tunnels excavated for their passage. Alongside them, fifty dismantled Ming- and Qing-dynasty merchants' villas were reconstructed brick by brick, creating a living archive of classical Chinese architecture and primordial forest impossible to find within any urban Shanghai address. 3 km from Maqiao Relics Park. 21 km from Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport.
Restaurants and bars
- Arva — Restaurant · Italian
- Lazhu — Restaurant · Chinese
- Yinlu — Restaurant · Cantonese
- The Lounge — Bar
- Cigar Lounge — Bar
- Bei TeaHouse — Restaurant · Tea
Experiences
- Nan Shufang cultural immersion (Guqin, painting, calligraphy, tea and incense ceremonies) — The spiritual heart of Amanyangyun, a cultural complex in a relocated antique building from Fuzhou, where guests learn and practise traditional crafts; nine dedicated rooms host tea and incense ceremonies.
- Cultural Discovery Centre activities — Activities for guests of all ages, particularly children aged 5 to 12, including pottery making, shadow play, pulp painting, wooden house, cycling and kids rooms.
- Private IMAX cinema — Access to Amanyangyun's private IMAX cinema, advance booking required.
- Travel photography session — A 90-minute travel photography session for up to two adults and two children, once per room, as an alternative to high tea.
- High tea at the Lounge — High tea for two at the Lounge, once per room, as an alternative to the photography session.
Amenities
- Aman Spa with Banya & Hammam
- indoor & outdoor pools
- fitness centre
- Pilates/yoga studio
- private IMAX cinema
- Children's Discovery Centre
- butler service
- cultural activities at Nan Shufang
- Sauna
- Cigar lounge
- Kids club
Awards
- Forbes Travel Guide Four-Star (2026)
- MICHELIN Two Keys (2026)
- MICHELIN One Key (2025)
- Shanghai's Leading Boutique Hotel 2025 (World Travel Awards) (2025)
- AHEAD Asia Guestrooms (2019)
- AHEAD Asia Hotel Conversion (2019)
- AHEAD Asia Hotel of the Year (2019)
Open Amanyangyun in the atlas for live weekend rates, photos, and the full folio.
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